Physician Healer

Issue 34 October

October

It’s always been my most favorite month of the year. I don’t know exactly why. It doesn’t matter when and how often I am asked what my favorite month is or my favorite holiday, my answer, for as along as I can remember, has always been October and Halloween, respectively. As I am thinking about it, I still really don’t know why and as much as I’ve often thought about this question which many have asked me, it got me thinking again. Have any of you ever thought about this question for yourselves?

Candy was a hot commodity in our household growing up and it wasn’t because it was difficult to find. My parents were really strict about eating candy, period. We just didn’t carry it in the house, not even for an occasional special treat. It would somehow simply grow legs and magically disappear. Sometimes we looked forward to visits from relatives, close or distant—didn’t matter as long as they brought some form of confectionary treat for us to devour. Whenever our aunts, uncles, or close family friends visited us from Hong Kong, they would bring these Swiss-made square candies stacked in 3 inch columns resembling Starburst but less tangy.

They came in wraps of blue, red, orange and yellow, if my memory serves, corresponding to pineapple, strawberry, orange and lemon, respectively. I remember when I was about 8, maybe 9 years old, Mom and Dad allowed us to eat candy on Halloween. The other times were Christmas, Easter, and our birthdays. The candies came in these tiny plastic Jack O’ lanterns with plastic black handles that pivoted back and forth. Thinking back, I am surprised how this little thing made me so ecstatic. The elementary school I attended also celebrated Halloween with a treat 15 minutes before class day ended.

One of the kids’ moms would bake cupcakes, cookies, or a sheet cake and we’d all get a small square piece of that placed on our tiny circular plate accompanied by a napkin both with cute Halloween motifs. They also made sure we all had a small bag of candy corn and a miniature red apple to make our experience a healthy one. What added to my excitement was opening up our hard-covered music textbook and singing Halloween songs. I even remembered the lyrics.

🍂👻🎵“Tonight is the night when dead leaves fly; it’s a witch’s, a switch’s, a goblin night; when ghosts and sprites flit through the night; on a moony sheen, on a moony sheen.”🎵🎃🍁

Why I remember that particular song of all the songs we sang to celebrate the ghouls and spirits, I have no idea.

Part of the excitement of getting that little pumpkin of treats from my parents and participating in the Halloween party at school was knowing that that was as close to trick or treating we were ever going to get. Mom and Dad were — protective. This was also because at the time, the news and the neighborhood watch committees were talking about drug-tainted candies and fruits, as well as discovering other harmful sordid objects embedded in fruit which I won’t go into. But, that didn’t stop my classmates and even the teachers from asking me why and poking fun at me. Even the staff at the school principal’s office knew and also asked me about that, incredulous that any parents would do that to their children.

But, maybe my fondness for the eve before All Saints Day aka All Hallows Day (November 1st), as it is known in the Christian faith, has something to do with its marking of the beginning of all the other holidays to come, such as Thanksgiving, Christmas, and then New Year’s Eve. As an aside, Christmas used to come in at a close second to Halloween when I was younger, but as I grew older and was invited to other families’ Thanksgiving gatherings, I found those to be quite enjoyable, too. There is a special warmness and deep joy when you are sitting at the table with family and friends sharing a meal, passing the dishes around and exchanging all sorts of stories. I realize that this holiday can also bring on stress for some, but fortunately for me, I never had unpleasant Thanksgiving dinners. So, now, Thanksgiving ties with Christmas in my book.

Up until a few years ago, I enjoyed horror movies and ghost stories, the scarier, the better. There was this indescribable thrill in getting thoroughly spooked out. The more scared I got, the higher I’d rate the movie. And yes, the downside was that I’d go to bed thinking there were shadows out to get me; but that eerie feeling would pass after several days. I learned recently that the thrill or rush from the scare starts in the amygdala, an area within the midbrain on both sides of the brain.

These areas are responsible for evaluating unknown situations, situations that pose a risk to the person. It doesn’t matter if the risk is real or imagined. When the amygdala locks in the risk, it releases a combination of hormones—adrenaline, dopamine, endorphins, and other chemicals to protect the body against danger. Once the reaction triggers an increase in testosterone, adrenaline rushes through the body and immediately, there is another flood of mood-enhancing chemicals. This phenomenon is the reason for the thrill of wanting to be scared like going into a haunted house.

Perhaps another reason for playing favoritism in all that is part of October is that I would associate it with the fall season and the change of the leaves. Although growing up in Southern California I really never appreciated the transformation of the foliage, I used to see it in books, calendars and in the movies. I used to cut out all the autumn photos from my calendars because I loved the reds, golds, and oranges. I remember specifically a photo taken in Vermont during the fall and thinking someday I’d live there so that I could see that.

In fact, when I decided to attend both graduate and medical schools in Pennsylvania, I did end up being present for all the changes in seasons for close to 10 years. I got to feel the transition of summer into fall and the gentle caress of the cool “autumn breeze” brush up against my forehead, my cheeks, nose and chin. I remember always stopping and taking time to appreciate the sweet aroma of whatever was baking in someone’s kitchen, the homey feeling of the warm smoky fragrance of the fireplace, and the unmistakable scent of the fall leaves gently coming off the branches and creating the carpet of rustling sounds on the earth I loved so much.

Maybe at the end, October remains my favorite month of all time because that is my birth month. I don’t know. It does seem kind of hokey to say this, but why I did save this reason for last? How do I honor myself? Have I honored myself enough this whole time I’ve been alive? Many if not the majority of us do not spend nearly enough quality time with ourselves, finding out from ourselves what we want, what makes us truly happy, and sufficiently complimenting ourselves for a job well done. Maybe we are used to hearing criticism about what we did wrong, what we did that was dissatisfactory, because we are hardwired for self-deprecation. So, we forget to list our own gratitudes for all that is uniquely ours and no one else’s.

Today is a good day to spend a few minutes singing, not gloating, not only about our accomplishments, but also just that we exist as we are and that we are important, that we have a purpose and who we are is a “one-of-a-kind” special. And, that, my friends, is more than enough.

Meditation and Relaxation Tips

Note: If you have not read previous 7 issues, please refer to those for the first 7 Meridian relaxation points as we will be introducing the 8th point below.

You can perform these techniques when you wake up in the morning or when you are getting ready for bedtime. Doing these techniques everyday regularly will help you have a more energetic and peaceful day and/or experience a more restful sleep at night.

1) Begin by finding a comfortable place to sit or you can choose to sit up on your bed, making sure you have ample back support

2) Start with breathing exercises. Close your eyes and take a slow deep breath either through your nose or through pursed lips counting to 7 seconds, then hold for 3 seconds before releasing the breath through pursed lips counting 7 seconds, then hold for 3 seconds. Repeat 2 more times. What may also help is visualizing during the breathing that you’re bringing in healing energy into your body filling every cell with this energy and as you exhale, visualize all the heaviness releasing from your body.

3) Apply gentle repetitive pressure from your finger tips (using 2 to 3 fingers) or tapping to the following Meridian points—which are described in more detail in previous newletters:

—both chest points under the collarbone and next to the breast bone

—blade areas of both hands (the hand chopping points along the side of the little finger)

—area under the lower lip at the dip (soul patch for men)

—under the nose above the upper lip

—both cheekbones under the lower eye socket

—both corners of the eyes avoiding the soft temple areas

—both brow areas where the brow hairs start next to the forehead

4) New Meridian point today is the top of the head—the area starts where your top of the head starts, usually about 1 inch pass the front hairline at the forehead and extending about 2 inches on other side of the midline (separating right and left halves of the head) and extending to about 2 to 3 inches from the front hairline towards the back of the head. For this point, you can use the fingers of one hand or the fingertips of both hands for wider coverage.

5) Some of the best statements to use while you are doing the Meridian tapping are intentional statements or questions (refer to previous issues for a list of statements) that facilitate what you visualize for your life right now and going forward.

—Why am I feeling so healthy that I never realized before?

—Why do I attract so many friendly people that I never realized before?

—Why does pain leave me so quickly now that I never noticed before?

—Why is my life becoming more peaceful that I never realized before?

—Why do I sleep so well now that I never noticed before?

—Why do I have so many great ideas that I never had before?

—Why is there so much abundance in my life that I never noticed before?

—Why am I so much happier now that I never noticed before?

—Why is my life becoming so easy now that I never realized before?

6) Once you are finished (10 to 15 minutes minimum), repeat the breathing exercises at the beginning and then open your eyes slowly after counting backwards from 10 to 1 and you can start your day feeling happier and more energized. If it is bedtime, then just lie down and go to sleep. Your sleep will become more restful as time goes on.

7) Remember everything is a practice. I often remind everyone that you can always learn to play the piano and read notes, but to perform Chopin or Rachmaninoff, you need to practice everyday or the fingers get rusty and stiff. The same thing happens to the mind and body.

8) Remember to take just a few minutes to journal every morning. It kick starts your day correctly. It is not a diary to record all the “bad” moments, but a place for you to write down everything you feel grateful for, which could be your wins for the day, discovering your abilities and talents for the week, your goals and what steps you think you could take to get you closer and what aspects of your life you feel you can improve and steps you could take to do so.

9) Remember to also take a few minutes to stretch and exercise. It could just be 10 to 20 minutes in the morning. If you have more time in the late afternoon or early evening, you can repeat this.

10) Keep to fresh whole organic foods, avoiding processed foods whenever possible and add vitamins, minerals and other supplements to protect the gut and digestive system. Scientific research indicates that the gut is the second brain and is responsible for brain and immune function. (Did you ever wonder where the saying, “Trust your gut instinct” came from?)

If you found just one thing meaningful in this article, then I was successful. If you think that someone you know may find this newsletter helpful, please click the SHARE button. Feel free to click on the HEART to like this issue and COMMENT to let me know if you have questions or thoughts. Remember that this weekly publication is free so click SUBSCRIBE to make sure each new issue arrives in your inbox automatically when it becomes available.

See you next week!

With love and gratitude,

Celeste Amaya, MD